Not quite the Dream movie

DANIEL CRAIG (Will Atenton) and RACHEL WEISZ (Libby) in ?Dream House?, a suspense thriller about a family that unknowingly moves into a home where several grisly murders were committed...only to find themselves the killer's next target.

Published:07:30Friday 02 December 2011

FOR those whose idea of a dream movie consists of the combination of the spooky thriller genre and high calibre actors like Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz, this, in theory, should be the film for you.

Deam House boasts the two British stars among the highly rated cast – which also includes Naomi Watts – and their presence alone should be enough to drive audiences to see the film.

But beware, around every shadowy corner of this movie there lurks deep disappointment and a feeling that there could, and should, be more.

Craig plays Will Atenton, a successful publisher in Manhattan who decides to leave corporate life in the fast lane to spend more time in suburbia with his wife Libby (Weisz) and two daughters, Trish and Dee Dee.

The pair buy their ‘dream house’, but of course, all is not as peachy as they would first imagine.

Initially all seems well, Will appears to have it all, working from home on his novel while spending quality time with his loving and beautiful family in their idyllic new home.

But as Will and Libby rennovate their house they can’t shake the feeling that they are being watched, and the grisly history of the house is uncovered.

The chemistry between Craig and Weisz is good (the pair fell in love during the making of the film and have since married) and their daughters are played by real life sisters Claire and Taylor Geare.

But the film lacks pace, patricularly as the traditional twist doesn’t fall near the end, but instead takes audiences by surprise half way through, leaving a slightly soggy second half.

Anyone who happend to catch the tailer for the film will also have a pretty good idea of what to expect – and they will be disappointed that they literally don’t get much more.

For a film of such high promise it sadly fails to deliver, the cast is let down by an obvious plot and the genuine scares are far too scarce.

Naomi Watts’ turn as the couple’s neighbour, who sheds light on the murderous horrors which unfolded at their home in the past, does not let her down.

The movie is well shot, the locations are great, but ultimately it fizzles out.

It is telling that there has been little publicity of this movie, and while the Christmas cinema market gears up with big adverts for films like Hugo, Dream House is being allowed to fade into the background – ultimately that is perhaps what it should be allowed to do, until it comes out on DVD at least.